He began the company in 1949 after being discharged from the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant commander of a minesweeper. He began the company by selling Navy surplus out of a station wagon to hvacr contractors in New York City.

Mr. Gottleib built the business into a 15-branch operation with more than 200 employees and more than 300,000 sq ft of space.

Today the company sells to customers in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.